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Perfectly spiced, creamy chicken enchilada soup is an easy slow cooker favorite, perfect for busy days!
Chicken enchilada soup has all the best flavors we love about Chicken Enchiladas compiled into an easy soup made in the crockpot. It’s a little different from our Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup but just as creamy and satisfying!
The perfect crockpot soup
I LOVE SOUPS!!! Seriously, there is something about warm, delicious soup recipes and the holidays that make me so incredibly giddy!
This chicken enchilada soup in a slow cooker has to be a new favorite. It was SOO easy to make and turned out fabulous!! We’ve always been suckers for green chiles and Enchiladas, so making a soup version of these things sounded wonderful.
Chicken Tortilla Soup is a Mexican food classic. It has some flavors in common with this chicken enchilada soup such as chicken and chiles, but tortilla soup is generally spicier and thinner. Whereas, chicken enchilada soup is creamier and tends to be milder.
The combination of chicken, green chiles, spices, corn, and cream cheese makes this recipe irresistible. You really can’t beat throwing everything in the slow cooker and having a delicious meal within a few hours. Pretty amazing!
Mix and Heat!
This chicken enchilada soup recipe takes minutes to put together, then the crock pot does the work!
COMBINE + COOK. Place chicken broth, enchilada sauce, green chiles, water, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and shredded chicken in a crock pot on HIGH. Cook for 3½ hours.
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS. After cooking for 3½ hours add corn, rice, and cubed cream cheese. Stir and cook for ½ hour.
SEASON + SERVE! Add salt and pepper to taste and top with Monterrey Jack Cheese.
Stovetop Instructions
If you’re in a pinch for time, make this green enchilada soup on the stovetop instead of in the crockpot.
- Add broth, enchilada sauce, diced green chilies, water, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and chicken to a large pot.
- Bring to a boil, and add rice and cream cheese.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Mix well so all cream cheese chunks are gone.
- Add salt and pepper and cheese right before serving.
Recipe Tips
The flavors of this green enchilada chicken soup really are phenomenal. It has all the ingredients similar to Enchiladas but in a soup form.
Flavor variations. Add more flavor with bell peppers, black beans, and other types of cheese. Swap out the cream cheese. It will change the flavor and texture a bit, but you can substitute the cream cheese with pureed cottage cheese or plain yogurt.
Best toppings. After dishing the soup into bowls, top the soup with a dollop of sour cream, avocado slices, tortilla strips, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, or a pinch of fresh cilantro. Place a lime wedge on the side of the bowl to squeeze over the soup.
Chicken. Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Cook Shredded Chicken, use precooked packaged chicken, or shred a rotisserie chicken. You can also follow our Slow Cooker Roast Chicken recipe. Once done, remove the bones and shred the chicken.
Thin out soup. If the crockpot chicken enchilada soup is too thick, add a little more chicken stock until you reach your desired texture.
Thicken soup. If the soup is too thin, add a little more cream cheese or rice. Add flour: In a separate bowl combine ¼ cup of soup and 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix until smooth then add back into the soup.
Storing Info + Side IDEAS
STORE. Place this creamy chicken enchilada soup recipe in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
FREEZE. Place the soup in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for 4-6 months. Let the soup thaw in the fridge. Slowly reheat in a pot over LOW heat. Stir constantly to keep the cream cheese combined with the soup.
Serving suggestions. Serve green chicken enchilada soup with some of our favorite bread and salads:
Recipe FAQ
Absolutely! Place the raw chicken (not frozen) in the pot along with the other ingredients in step 1. Cook the soup on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 5-7 hours. Remove the chicken and shred it with a fork. Add it back in and complete steps 2 and 3.
If you are not used to eating spicy food you might find this soup a little hot. To make it more mild you can reduce or omit the chili powder and cumin. Use a mild or medium enchilada sauce and green chiles instead of a hot one. Serve with toppings that provide a cooling effect, such as sour cream or avocado slices.
Absolutely! If you prefer a vegetarian or meat-free version of this soup, you can simply omit the chicken from the recipe and use a vegetable broth. You can add additional veggies like bell peppers, black beans, or even tofu for added texture and protein.
For More Slow Cooker Soups, Check Out:
- Crockpot Taco Soup
- Crockpot Hamburger Soup
- Crockpot Tortellini Soup
- Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup
- Crockpot Taco Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Green Chili Chicken Soup
Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans chicken broth
- 2 (15-ounce) cans mild green enchilada sauce
- 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles
- ⅔ cup water
- 1½ tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅔ cup corn, thawed if frozen
- ⅔ cup instant rice
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened and cubed
- salt and pepper to taste
- Toppings: Monterey Jack cheese fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Combine chicken, broth, enchilada sauce, green chiles, water, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3½ hours.
- Add corn, rice, and cream cheese. Stir and cook on high for 30 minutes more.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and top with Monterey Jack cheese and cilantro before serving.
Video
Notes
- In a large pot, combine chicken, broth, enchilada sauce, green chiles, water, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder, and bring to a boil.
- Add corn, rice, and cream cheese, reduce the heat, and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Mix well so all cream cheese chunks are gone, then add salt and pepper. Serve garnished with cheese and cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh.My.Goodness! This was absolutely amazing! I also used low fat cream cheese because we are trying to slim down and had the “chunk” issue but just mushed them out with a spoon. Can you tell me if this freezes well please?
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried freezing it, but I imagine it would be okay without the toppings. Then, I’d heat it up and add the garnish on top. 😉
I froze some and it worked out fine! Made it with cumin seed and again with ground cumin. Using the seed was my favorite.
Great recipe. My aunt made this soup and it was a hit with my entire family. So I decided to try to make it myself. Though I did change it up a bit. I doubled up on the spices, then I also added Cajun spice, and a few pinches on cayenne pepper for some heat. Instead of 2/3 cups of Rice, I added a whole cup. It made my apartment smell amazing. Though, I must say that it seems to serve more than 4-6 people. I had two big bowls, and it barely made a dent.
This recipe saved my life, last day of the month pantry pretty bare, a can of green enchilada sauce, chicken in the freezer, a can of corn, cupboard full of spices and stroke of luck when i found a little bag of instant rice untouched for months(my family would normally kill me not making pot of real rice with a meal). with a little help from google i came across this and was able to make a great meal. I dont normally cook food south of the border style(im just very unfamiliar with it, asian foods are my forte) but i sure like to eat it and this recipe was just what i needed today. ty so much.
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thank you for the recipe! as soon as i found it, i had to make it. just a note to others…i had an issue, like someone else mentioned, with the cream cheese melting all the way. i had little clumps of white floating like yummy islands in a sea of delicious, lol. the two issues i could imagine are 1. i used neufchatel (aka low-fat) cream cheese, or 2. the cubes weren’t small enough. i’m thinkin’ more #1 though, because i let the soup cook an extra half hour to try and allow more time for the cheese to melt. it didn’t really help. so, anyone contemplating making this, go for the non-low-fat cream cheese. regardless…it was soooo good. thank you!!
This soup is totally awesome!!! My whole family loved it. Try it, you won’t be disappointed!!
SO glad you guys liked it!! It’s so simple and delicious. Reminds me that I need to make it again soon. 😉 Thanks for stopping by!!
Just tried this recipe tonight. OMG! its absolutely delicious and my family loved it! Can’t wait to make it for my girl’s luncheon. Its perfect!
I (accidentally) left the cream cheese in this recipe and it was still really delicious! So if you are looking to keep it lighter, try that!
Good idea!! Unfortunately, my hubby is obsessed with cream cheese and I know he’d make sure I add the cream cheese. 😉 Maybe one of these I’ll try and sneak it out for a lighter version. 😉
I mean, aren’t we all? Haha, I really couldn’t believe I left it out, it was so good without it. It surprised me!
So glad you posted this Kelly b/c that’s the first thing I wondered. I love cream cheese, but we’re saving our calories for Christmas cookies and sweets. 🙂
Great, I’m not a fan of cream cheese and was wondering if i could leave it out.
This is a really easy and great tasting soup, however, 4 chicken breasts, even of the smallest size are way too much. If you are looking for soup and not chili, only use two small chicken breasts.
It’s all preference. If you want more chicken then you can use more chicken and if you’d want less, then you can less. 😉